National Consultancy to Support the Inter-Ministerial Committee to fight Malnutrition in Cameroon (CILM) - Only For Cameroonian

Contract

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For every child, good health

Scope of Work: The determinants of malnutrition are varied, encompassing a range of biological, economic, and sociocultural factors. Achieving global targets for reducing undernutrition calls for a multisectoral approach that includes scaled-up, proven, nutrition-specific interventions as well as nutrition-sensitive interventions and approaches. Coordination of nutrition planning, funding and implementation across sectors, stakeholders, and government levels is critical to the scaling up of nutrition programs and impacts. In identifying a multisectoral approach as a key principle for improving nutrition outcomes. However, multi-sectoral coordination for nutrition is also very challenging as it involves multiple sectors and partners that have different approaches, visions, and understandings of the problem (Garrett, Bassett, and Levinson 2011). It is difficult to influence and sustain nutrition-based mandates across line ministries whose performances are evaluated on non-nutrition-oriented activities (Levinson, Balarajan, and Marini 2013).

In Cameroon, two out of five children under the age of five are not growing well to realize their full developmental potential and effectively contribute to the society when they become adults. These children suffer a triple burden of malnutrition, meaning that they are stunting, wasted, or deficient in key micronutrients. Despite a decline of its prevalence from 32.6 per cent in 2011 to 28.9 percent in 2018, child stunting remains high and still affects a little over one million under-five children at any time. Child wasting is low at national level at 4.3 per cent in 2018 but reaches medium public health proportions with 10 per cent prevalence rates in the regions of Adamawa, and Far North. Overweight has nearly doubled in prevalence among under-five children from 6.5 per cent in 2011 to 11.0 per cent in 2018. Finally, nearly 3 out of five under-five children and 2 out of 5 women of reproductive age suffer from anaemia. Children are not growing well in part because they are not eating the right food to meet their growing and evolving need and sustain their optimal growth and development and because the systems to support and protect their diets and their communities’ practices and use of service for better growth are deficient. Indeed, only 40 per cent of children are exclusively breastfed for the first six month of their life and barely 20 per cent are fed an adequately varied diet with at least 5 food groups when they reach 6 months of age while breastfeeding is continued. Breastfeeding is initiated within an hour after birth for less than half of children born at a hospital.

Until recently, these different forms of malnutrition were tackled in a fragmented way in Cameroon and, as a result, very little progress was made. Since 2018, a more focused approach that addresses malnutrition in a comprehensive way and improve coverage of key nutrition interventions is ongoing through the action of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (CILM). The Government of Cameroon has established this Committee to fight malnutrition and has a mandate to ensure the coordination of nutrition interventions across many sectors. A multi-sectoral nutrition system at national and decentralized levels as been initiated with however limited coverage at decentralized level. Going forward, there is a need to maintain high level national governance in Nutrition and improve decentralized coordination of stakeholders united around a common results framework. The major bottlenecks identified in the multisectoral coordination are as following: • Absence of a costed multisectoral nutrition policy to provide a vision and help coalesce all relevant sector strategies around a common goal. • Weak multisectoral coordination at all levels for an efficient and effective planning, delivery, and monitoring of nutrition interventions. • Lack of a multisectoral nutrition information system to inform decision-making at national and subnational levels.

• Rigid social norms and taboos that limit the use of services and the adoption of diets and practices for better nutrition. • Limited financial resources available for service provision and limited affordable nutrient-dense food on the market.

The main objectives of the consultant will be: • Provide technical assistance to the Inter- Ministerial Committee to fight malnutrition. • Review and update of nutrition policy/strategy documents in Cameroon and the multisectoral operational plan; • Support the development of the common result framework; • Support costing and expenditure tracking strategies; • Ensure capacity building and support to the sectors focal points (MINADER, MINDEVEL, MINEE, MINPROFF, MINAS, MINESUP, MINEPAT…) • Finalize implementation and follow-up of the regional coordination platforms. • Provide strategic guidance to the committee to monitor and coordinate all nutrition interventions at national and decentralized levels.

How can you make a difference?

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

Estimate Budget

Coordinate the revision of existing Nutrition policy and multisectoral operational plan with all involved stakeholders to aligned them with latest development of the nutrition sector in Cameroon and international recommendations.

Updated Nutrition strategy

Updated operational plan

10/21 – 02/22

40%

Support the policy costing methodology and finance expenditure tracking for domestic resources.

ToR costing of operational plan

Tracking methodology define with MINEPAT representative

Operational plan costed

10/21 – 03/22

10%

Support coordination of all stakeholders in the N4G submit preparation

Support organization of national consultation (in collaboration with SDAN) and draft supporting document.

10-12/2021

10%

Support the elaboration and implementation of a capacity mapping and capacity building plan for sectoral Focal points of the CILM

Capacity mapping report

Capacity building plan

Capacity building final report with recommendations

10/21 – 06/22

10%

Support the elaboration of the advocacy strategy for the CILM

Advocacy strategy document

At least two main events organized

11/21

10/21 - 06/22

20%

Support definition of regional coordination platforms roles and mandate to establish decentralized coordination.

ToR of the regional platforms

At least two regional workshops organized

10/21-02/22

10%

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have :

• Masters ( Nutrition, Public Health, Health Economy, Health Policies/Strategies)
• Work experience: Minimum 8 years of experience in the design and management of nutrition programs including multisectoral coordination.
• Competencies: Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; Strong analytical skills Sound judgement and initiative; Proven skills in advocacy; Strong communication and writing skills
• Languages: French written and oral fluency, with a good knowledge of English

Supervision :

Head Nutrition section

Condition Of Work :

• Office Based
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. UNICEF will provide the consultant with an office and internet connection. However, the consultant will need to bring his/her own laptop and the necessary software and technical tools to carry out the assignment.

PLEASE TO PROVIDE (ATTACHED) YOUR FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SEPARATLY

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

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UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.